9-8-21

The Pitt News

T h e i n de p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | september 8, 2021 ­| Volume 112 | Issue 16

Cover by Pamela Smith | Visual Editor

September 8, 2021

Sports

Men’s soccer vs.

Akron pittnews.com

pitt fans revel in return to heinz field Richie Smiechowski Staff Writer

Pitt fans would rather forget the last time they watched the Panthers in-person at Heinz Field.

A 26-19 loss to Boston College on Nov. 30, 2019, left a bitter taste in every spectator’s mouth as they watched the Panthers get trounced in every aspect of the game. It was a fitting end to a dismal regular season — which at one point seemed to be heading toward a second consecutive ACC Coastal Division championship.

When the 2020 season rolled around a year later, Panther fans were kept out of the stadium by capacity limits.

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the 2020 season upside down for players and fans alike. No roaring student section, no tailgates, no unified swaying to “Sweet Caroline” — all of the trademarks that make up a Panther game day.

After a very underwhelming season — both from the team’s on field performances and lack of noise from the stands at Heinz Field — what felt like the longest offseason ever finally ended on Saturday morning, and thus began the highly anticipated gameday.

While Pitt boasts a home slate featuring currently ranked opponents Clemson, Miami and UNC all in a row, the optimistic hysteria which surrounded their first home game against UMass — a team that hasn’t won a game since 2019 — shows just how much fans craved being back in person at Heinz.

Attendance for the game ended up totaling more than 40,000 spectators — and just about all of them were in the parking lots for their first tailgate in almost two years.

Current students, alumni, family and friends all came out in droves hours before the game started to set up their elaborate configurations of everything from four course, buffet-style meals to flat-screen TV set-ups. Each congregation of cars that lined the streets and lots surrounding the stadium showcased Pitt pride to the fullest — the sea of blue and gold’s passion and intensity drew

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strong comparisons from Alex Hodge, a junior communication rhetoric major.

“It’s Steelers game-level energy,” Hodge said. “Every underclassman has never been to a football game, so their energy is unparalleled — plus it’s the first game open to the public so alumni are back, more ready than ever.”

Away from the lines of aromatic food trucks and stands just outside the stadium

Lot on Saturday and thought that having a reason for his friends to get together was the best part of his return to Heinz Field.

“I’m most excited to be hanging out with my friends,” Gonzalez said. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to go to football games with guys that I really care about, guys that are good people — just being there among the people, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

What felt like the longest offseason ever for Panther fans finally ended on Saturday afternoon’s game against UMass. Pamela Smith visual editor

on Art Rooney Avenue, current students gravitated toward the Clark Lot — one that is smaller than some of the lots closer to Heinz Field, but offers free passes for Pitt students.

This lot, although not as intricately decorated as some of the alumni and parent arrangements, is a fan favorite among students.

Dozens of Pitt organizations and hundreds of students gathered with just about every element needed for a successful tailgate.

But the food, drink and amenities of tailgating were secondary, according to Jonathan Gonzalez, a junior biological sciences and chemistry major. He tailgated in the Clark

Around 3 p.m., the tailgaters started to make their way from the lots to the gates in droves. While normal spectator gates seemed to be doing fine, gate C — which is used to process the student section — was backlogged with thousands of spectators. The closer it got to gametime, the longer the line became, with some fans waiting more than 30 minutes to get their ticket scanned.

Finally, when a good portion of the overflowing student sections were filled, the Panther Pitt exuberantly cheered at the 2021 season’s opening kickoff.

Fans were on their feet less than one

September 8, 2021

minute into the game on an apparent forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown — but the play was ultimately ruled incomplete after review. Regardless of the outcome, the surge that came from the crowd that quickly into the game was enough to give any Pitt fan goosebumps after being without it for so long.

The rest of the contest yielded no shortage of moments for fans to get up on their feet for the Panther’s performance. Seven touchdowns and almost 600 yards later, fans could return to the Victory Lights in Oakland elated at the team’s performance, regardless of the talent disparity.

MacKenzie Sendro, a junior communication rhetoric major, was at the game on Saturday and could feel an extra jolt from the crowd as they returned from the extended absence.

“Any game at Heinz Field whether it’s Pitt football or the Steelers is just electrifying,” Sendro said. “The energy that radiated throughout the whole stadium was crazy, especially being the first game of the season and the first game back since COVID, I think the energy was just really heightened.”

Another part of gameday tradition was back in force Saturday afternoon — the Pitt marching band, which regaled fans with memorable sounds and images of a Disney+ filled quarantine, drawing the biggest cheer with their Baby Yoda marching formation.

While some fans left after halftime or the end of the third quarter due to the lopsided score and wishes to beat the traffic back to Oakland, the vast majority stayed and swayed to the tune of “Sweet Caroline,” one of Pitt’s most famous — or infamous, depending on who you ask — gameday traditions.

The Panthers, who led off their 2021 campaign with a resounding win over UMass, did it in front of an animated home crowd.

Whether a reinvigorated home-field advantage will translate into more Pitt wins remains to be seen, but that is a concern for another day. For at least one week, fans enjoyed getting back to game days on the North Shore.

2

Women’s lacrosse looks to make ACC splash ahead of first season

Richie Smiechowski Staff Writer

Head coach Emily Boissonneault gathered her team for the first time following their warmup last Monday. It was the first of many huddles during the practice, but this one was different.

Boissonneault and her staff weren’t the only people standing in front of the players. Athletic Director Heather Lyke made the trip to the Pitt Sports dome to usher in a new chapter of Pitt athletics. The players got together to break the huddle before energetically running to separate sides of the dome for individual drills.

The women’s lacrosse program’s first official practice as a varsity level team was in session.

Pitt women’s lacrosse will take the field for the first time in spring 2022. It’s also the first time since 1997 that Pitt Athletics has a new varsity team. It’s a monumental challenge competing in the ACC as a firstyear program, but that didn’t deter the team from jumping into its first fall practice with an abundance of enthusiasm — something senior midfielder Payton Reed considers paramount as the team begins to gel.

“What our team needs right now is a lot of motivation and a lot of energy throughout practice,” Reed said. “Keeping the positive attitude up so that we can keep pushing each other.”

The entire two-hour practice featured nonstop energy from the new team. As they progressed from one drill to another, the encouragement and cheers grew louder and more competitive — a Division I level practice was in session.

Exhausted by the end of the workout — which concluded with a full-field scrimmage — the players chatted with each other on the sideline, visibly encouraged by what they’d seen from each other between the lines. Although the number of women on the team more than doubled since last year, graduate student midfielder Chloe Jones said transitioning to a cohesive unit went seamlessly.

“I don’t think there was at all a chemis-

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try issue today,” Jones, a graduate student transfer midfielder from the University of Virginia, said. “It was really cool to watch everyone come together, and it felt like we had all been playing together for a really long time.”

There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for the upcoming season. Pitt Athletics announced it would add women’s lacrosse almost three years ago, but a Division I athletics program isn’t built overnight. The athletic department needed to find someone to lead the team, and they found that person in Boissonneault.

A former standout player at Detroit Mercy, the new head coach has plenty of experience in collegiate lacrosse. Her last season as associate head coach for James Madison University in 2018 concluded with a national championship for the Dukes.

Boissonneault signed the program’s first five players in 2019 and started building a roster.

This group would go on to grow to 14 soon after and continued to expand as Boissonneault continued to build a competitive culture. Despite not officially having scheduled games, the team participated in daily practices as well as team-building activities the past few years.

At the core of the new program are athletes who have been practicing with the team for a few years now. Players like Reed experienced Pitt lacrosse at a multitude of levels — first at the club level and now on the ACC stage.

Combining the new and old eras of the program into a unified team is a high priority, and Boissonneault acknowledged that all returning, new and transfer players are very close-knit from what she’s seen in practices.

“I’m pretty pleased to say that I think already our returners have said they’ve spent more time together as a team than they did last year, and there was only 14 of them,” Boissonneault said. “The transfers all have past experiences that I’m really excited to bring. There’s a higher expectation for them to help this program be special.”

Boissonneault has ideas for who is going to step into a leadership role this sea-

son, but doesn’t expect them to exclusively be players with power-five experience. One player the head coach says to keep an eye on is graduate transfer defender Therese Pitman, who played collegiate level lacrosse at a smaller program, Siena College, before joining the Panthers.

“We talk about Therese Pitman all the time,” Boissonneault said. “She’s an incredible leader, she really engaged with the University last year, she comes from a smaller, mid-major school. The special thing is that anyone can step up in any moment and I think everyone on this team is capable of doing that.”

The idea that any single player can become a team leader is one that resounds throughout the program. Reed voiced similar praises about the team’s mentality — that anyone can step up and be a leader.

“We have girls from such diverse backgrounds, but the one common thing we have is that no one has played for the Pitt [Division I] lacrosse team before,” Reed said. “Every single person on this team has the opportunity to be a leader and to lead in their own different way. Every single one of us can step up.”

She and the rest of the coaching staff emphasize a strong culture in the program’s infancy. That mindset radiated to the players, according to Jones, and helped them thrive at what they do best.

“They’re looking to everyone for everyone to bring what they have to the table – everyone has something different,” Jones said, “They’ve been so encouraging, so positive, I’ve never experienced something like this. They’re so involved with everything that we’re doing and it’s been a really great standard for us to step up to.”

Leadership, chemistry and intensity are three qualities that shine through as the Panthers’ strengths. But the team will face more than a few learning curves going into the season.

With more than 20 players who have yet to play in their first college game, the new players will rely heavily on experienced transfers such as Jones to dictate the pace of

September 8, 2021

play during practice.

“I love running fast, I love pushing fast breaks so I think it helps everyone also pick up their speed when they play,” Jones said.

“Just coming out in the ACC and playing strong and playing hard and fast and giving it everything we have is going to be the biggest thing for us.”

Regardless of how Pitt women’s lacrosse fares in its first ACC season, fielding a team and beginning their schedule is a monumental step forward. The emphasis is on building the program for years to come. But Boissonneault, her staff and players are far too competitive to let that be their only goal for the season.

“I want to come in and I want to make a splash in the ACC, everyone on this team does,” Boissonneault said. “We want to play hard in that conference and we want to compete.”

3

Opinions

Political hypocrisy shouldn’t stay the norm pittnews.com

We need to get ready to say goodbye to Roe v. Wade India Krug

Senior Staff Columnist Here it is — the abortion piece. You had to know it was coming, right? There’s so much I could write about. I could write about how the “pro-life” argument falls flat coming from people who won’t even wear a mask or get a shot to protect their communities.

I could write about how I expect to see universal health care, environmental conservation, workers’ rights and affordable college policies introduced by legislators who are forcing patients to give birth.

I could write about how the fight to protect innocent lives seems to stop if the child is on the other side of the border. I could write about how most vasectomies are reversible — but it would probably be a short column.

Instead, I’ll write about how we got to the new Texas law, and what this means for us as well as the future of the Supreme Court.

First, I want to clarify how dire the situation truly is. The law — which went into effect on last Wednesday — bans almost all abortions after six weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest and very narrow ones for the patient’s health.

For those who menstruate, that’s only one to two weeks after a missed period.

Many are unlikely to know if they are pregnant in that amount of time, nevermind make a doctor’s appointment. It positions itself as a “heartbeat bill,” but it’s misleading because embryos haven’t yet developed hearts at six weeks. Instead, what a machine hears is electrical activity.

Laws like these put an overwhelming burden on patients of color, those from low-income communities and undocumented immigrants who already face disparities in accessing affordable reproductive health care.

And if someone finds out too late and still attempts to terminate their pregnancy, the law deputizes private citizens to

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sue anyone who performs or “aids and abets” an illegal procedure. These plaintiffs don’t need to have any connection to the patient or clinic, and they have a $10,000 incentive.

So, let’s talk about the elephant in the clinic room — how did Republicans get this passed? What about Roe v. Wade?

The landmark 1973 Supreme Court case concluded that a person’s decision to have an abortion was deeply personal and protected by a fundamental right to pri-

Court case effectively weakened the power of Roe by introducing a new standard known as the “undue burden test.” This meant that restrictions on abortion could be imposed at any time during pregnancy, as long as they didn’t place a “substantial obstacle” to seeking an abortion.

Well, this new law is a pretty substantial f— obstacle. So, why didn’t the Supreme Court deem it unconstitutional? To get to that answer, we’re going to have to discuss a few things, including

Lauren Posey staff illustrator vacy — more specifically, the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

But Roe also acknowledged the government’s interest in potential human life — an interest that became compelling after the first trimester. This meant that during the first 13 weeks of a pregnancy, which makes up the first trimester, the state could not regulate abortion whatsoever. Regulations could begin during the second trimester, but they had to be reasonably related to the patient’s health.

After viability of the fetus, at the third trimester, the state could ban abortion.

After that, however, was Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This 1992 Supreme

a new vocabulary term called a “shadow docket.” A shadow docket decision is an emergency court ruling left unsigned and issued without full briefs or hearing oral arguments.

This is the third order in two weeks that the Supreme Court issued in the dead of night. First, the Court determined that asylum seekers must remain in Mexico while they awaited hearings, then they overturned the eviction ban.

And, most recently, they refused to block the new Texas law.

In a 5 to 4 decision, the Court said abortion providers who challenged the law had not made their case in the face

September 8, 2021

of “complex and novel” procedural questions. This decision was not based on the constitutionality of the ban, but rather the persuasiveness of the providers’ emergency application.

But the longer this law stands, the clearer it is to other state legislatures that they can pass similar bans. Currently, there is legislation introduced in 19 states that would ban abortion after 12 weeks.

The Supreme Court’s continued use of this backdoor process feels foreboding.

Will we wake up one morning to find that Roe v. Wade was overturned while we slept? A Mississippi case to reverse Roe is already before the Supreme Court.

We are so far from the unanimous Senate confirmations and bipartisanship that used to form our Supreme Court. We are facing a Supreme Court that utilizes an emergency process to absolve it from providing transparency or justification for its decisions. A Supreme Court that contains a justice who was sworn in days before our country elected a new president. Our country is only becoming more polarized.

I’m not talking about a “Can you chip in $10?” email, I’m talking about a fullscale attack plan. It is almost impossible to out-organize efforts to reverse Roe, especially since white women have a pattern of voting against their own interests.

This means progressives lobbying to get Roe v. Wade codified into federal law.

This means fighting tooth and nail for every state legislature seat. This means leaving behind moderate Democrats who are not staunchly pro-choice. This means working to end the filibuster and protect voting rights.

It’s time to begin one of the biggest fights for reproductive rights of the 21st century.

India writes primarily about politics for The Pitt News. Write to her at ilk18@ pitt.edu or follow her on Twitter @indialarson_.

4

Culture Shakespeare in the Parks

South O block party pittnews.com

presents all-female ‘Hamlet’ production Jessica McKenzie Staff Writer

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks reimagined the classic play “Hamlet” into an all-female production — one that challenges its company to speak “Pittsburghese” while embodying classic characters of the Elizabethan Era. PSIP’s 17th season of free shows will run through Sept. 26. Showings are on either Friday evenings or Saturday and Sunday afternoons across Pittsburgh’s parks.

The company performed near Frick Park’s Blue Slide Playground on Beechwood Boulevard and Nicholson Street this weekend.

Joanna Getting, who plays the roles of Polonius, Gravedigger and Barnardo, said she’s most excited to see the audience’s reaction when the characters speak in a Pittsburgh dialect. Getting said the company had to use a Pittsburgh accent at all times — even with simple words like “water” and “n’at.”

“The dialect has been super challenging,” Getting said. “It’s been fun to figure out how a native Pittsburgher would speak in very old school English and how they would use Shakespeare’s words.”

Getting started performing in elementary school and earned a theater arts degree from Pitt. A member of PSIP since 2006, Getting said she jumped on the opportunity to be a part of “Hamlet” because artistic director Jennifer Tober decided to make it the company’s second all-female production since “Julius Caesar” in September 2019.

“Back in Shakespeare’s day, women were often not even allowed to perform at all — and when they were, they could be the queen, the wife, the maid or the wench, but they can’t be the prince or the king,” Getting said. “The fact that women of color are taking on the lead roles is super inspiring and empowering, a dynamic unlike anything most audiences will ever

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get to see.”

Melissa Franklin and Angela Hsu — both women of color — share the roles of Ophelia and Hamlet and switch characters during the second half of the play. KJ Gilmer, the play’s director, said she made this choice so that women of color can experience playing two main characters that are polar opposites of each other.

“Everyone has preconceived notions, expectations and theories about this play — I’m up against almost hundreds of years of research and scholars who see this play done a certain way,” Gilmer said. “It’s about rising to the challenge and showing the play through my eyes, but also seeing it through the perspective of someone who isn’t that familiar with ‘Hamlet.’”

Gilmer is a costume design lecturer at Pitt. She directs and designs costumes for Pitt as well as other theater companies and universities. “Hamlet” is her first professional production — and the first production where she didn’t make the costumes.

She said she admires Shakespeare’s work because the themes still apply to the world today.

“The life experiences of the characters

but they stay in the same environment — we use the props to move the story forward and to move us through time and space,” Gilmer said. “We’re not fighting against nature for the sake of this production, we’re embracing it.”

According to Getting, embracing nature is only one aspect of what made the production successful, given challenges caused by COVID-19 restrictions. She said the cast had to find creative ways to move around and perform fight scenes while social distancing.

“During rehearsals, I felt as though I could try anything — [the other performers] would not judge me for making an odd choice and seeing if that works,” Getting said. “So that’s been wonderful to have such accepting and supportive people to work with.”

During their performance, the cast still performs fight scenes, but they do so without ever touching each other. According to the production’s fight choreographer, Tonya Lynn, the task of choreographing these scenes was most challenging because of the use of weaponry in “Hamlet.”

“This production updates the look of

A scene from the Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks’ all-female production of “Hamlet.” The show will run for free every Saturday and Sunday until Sept.

26 across Pittsburgh’s parks. Jessica McKenzie staff writer are still relevant to situations of today, and the political climate that we are experiencing now is a similar situation to what was happening in England at the time,” Gilmer said. “This play was written as a propaganda piece to educate people back then — and I think we can still learn from it today.”

During Sunday’s performance in Frick Park, the cast used props such as small tables, blocks and cubes to represent different areas of Hamlet’s kingdom. Gilmer said she was excited to use the nature of Pittsburgh’s parks as a backdrop. “[The cast members] do move around

the weaponry and instead of swords uses knives, which have a much closer and more intimate fight distance,” Lynn said.

“There are no hidden ‘stage combat tricks’ this time around, because all the movements are in full view of the audience and performed without physical contact between the actors.”

PSIP’s “Hamlet” marks Lynn’s eighth time as a fight choreographer for the play and 64th time working on a Shakespeare production. Lynn studied at Pitt Theatre’s graduate program. She served as a fight choreographer on 11 mainstage and stu-

September 8, 2021

dent lab theater productions for Pitt Stages.

Lynn said her love for Shakespeare’s work is the reason she is so passionate about theater. She said she is thrilled to experience PSIP’s fresh take on the play and that being a part of PSIP’s inclusive approach to “Hamlet” is inspiring.

“I find it refreshing to see these beloved characters be interpreted in a public setting by actors who historically would not have had access to these roles,” Lynn said.

“The depth of character and nuance that can be unearthed by introducing fresh perspectives to a classical text — it’s an important part of what helps keep theater vibrant and relevant.”

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5

NewsGallagher talks fall semester,

First SGB meeting pittnews.com

political pressure and more in TPN interview

Natalie Frank and Jon Moss The Pitt News Staff

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said two weeks into the third academic year in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic that there is still no “secret playbook” for how to manage an ever-changing health situation and a “pretty volatile time” in history.

“We’re all going through a pandemic for the first time in our lives, so there’s no secret playbook that some people have that others don’t,” Gallagher said. “Consultation and information and idea sharing has been really important.”

Gallagher spoke with The Pitt News for about 30 minutes last Friday about the planning for the fall semester, running the University during the COVID-19 pandemic’s latest stage, the ongoing faculty unionization vote, off-campus health guidelines and more. The interview was the first time the chancellor took questions from The Pitt News since a May interview.

Classes Gallagher said the two-week remote option for the start of the fall semester — which Provost Ann Cudd announced on Aug. 20 — will end as planned on Sept. 13. Gallagher said he is doubtful there will be flexibility or an option for remote learning in the future.

“What the provost announced is actually very predictive of the future,” Gallagher said.

“We felt that starting the term, bringing everyone back to campus, really for the first time in over a year, in the middle of an outbreak with this much uncertainty, while our testing program was just getting up, and while the confirmation of vaccines process was just underway, it was a prudent thing to give everybody a little bit more optionality for a couple of weeks.”

Gallagher said while there will only be inperson classes beginning next week, the University will provide accommodations for students, faculty and staff who are in need of going remote for medical reasons, particularly if someone contracts COVID-19.

“There will be accommodation but I think it will require more than just worry,” Gallagher

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said. “This will now go to real medical accommodations and other concerns through our disabilities resources office.”

Gallagher said the lack of a remote option after Sept. 13 is to prevent the quality of classroom instruction from diminishing.

“We can’t add all flexibility back in for everybody at all times without dramatically reducing the quality of the programs,” Gallagher said.

very strong and I believe they’re very protective.”

He faced criticism from the University community for his decision to not require proof of a COVID-19 vaccine, one of which, by Pfizer-BioNTech, now has full regulatory approval from the U.S. government. Pitt’s Faculty Assembly, Senate Council and Student Government Board all expressed support last spring for a vaccine mandate. Gallagher said Pitt administrators are

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher spoke with The Pitt News last Friday about the planning for the fall semester, running the University during the COVID-19 pandemic’s latest stage, the ongoing faculty unionization vote, off-campus health guidelines and more. TPN File Photo Vaccine mandate Gallagher said he feels Pitt’s current approach to the virus, which includes differing health rules depending on whether or not a person is vaccinated, is “very protective.” Vaccinated students are not required to follow most health guidelines, including routine testing, contact tracing, shelter in places or quarantining.

“I still believe that the approach we took, which is to require complying with our infection control program as a condition of access to our facilities, was protective, it’s very strong,” Gallagher said. “We have requirements at Pitt — they’re

doing their best to listen to community input.

“Everyone’s nervous, the information’s changing everyday. You know, this is just a very difficult environment. If you ask me, is there pressure? Yes. Do people have opinions? Yes. Does the pressure dictate what we do? No — it can’t,” Gallagher said. “The philosophy we’ve taken is, we’ll listen to everybody. We take that input, we respond to as much of it as we can.”

Some have questioned how, if at all, funding from Pennsylvania’s Republican-led legislature has played into the vaccine mandate calculus by state-related universities. Pitt, along with Penn

September 8, 2021

State and Temple, is part of the small club of quasi-private, quasi-public universities that receive money each year from the state to subsidize tuition for in-state students. State-related funding must clear a higher bar of two-thirds support in both chambers to be approved, presenting a possible leverage point for lawmakers.

In an Aug. 12 letter, Penn State President Eric Barron admitted that his decision to not mandate vaccination was partially based on state funding, and the State Senate leader said Penn State would likely face “pushback” if a mandate took effect.

Pitt faced challenges in Harrisburg before, such as during summer 2019, when House Republicans raised questions about fetal tissue research at the University.

“The question I think is, is that threat — loss of funding — sufficient to make me not carry out my responsibility to protect the University community. And the flat out answer is no,” Gallagher said. “In a non-preferred appropriation, where it requires a supermajority, it gives lawmakers with views leverage. And it’s a normal part of this process that they threaten, using their leverage to threaten our funding to accomplish certain things.”

Gallagher said he feels possible changes in state funding is “not enough of a lever to dictate how the University operates,” in particular with COVID-19 safety measures. He noted that some Republican-controlled state legislatures banned universities from requiring students to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, which has not happened in Pennsylvania.

“They’re threatening our students to get me to take actions on various topics, and look — that pressure is a reality. I’m not going to be naive about this. But candidly, it’s my job to deal with that pressure,” Gallagher said. “There’s a big difference between something being unlawful and something that can be a pressure point.”

Faculty unionization Gallagher also discussed the ongoing vote on faculty unionization. The Pennsylvania Labor

Find the full story online at

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6

Pitt students travel in style with new Spin scooters

Staff Writer

Pitt students probably noticed an increased number of scooters around Oakland, either parked along the sidewalk or zooming by.

Spin, a company that manufactures and designs electronically charged vehicles, partnered with the City’s MovePGH project on July 9 to provide the city with Spin scooters. According to the website, Spin is active on other university campuses across North America, including Ohio State University, University of California San Diego, Duke University and Texas State University.

Using the Spin app, students can see the location of scooters and charging stations — known as Spin Hubs — as well as the scooter’s price. To activate the scooter, riders must use the app to scan the scooter’s QR code and make an online transaction via credit card or Apple Pay. To activate the scooters, riders must pay $1, and then 39 cents per additional minute. The scooters can then be controlled by two pedals and the handlebar.

Returning the scooters to Spin Hubs — located along Forbes Avenue at the corners of both South Bouquet Street and Schenley Drive — is optional, but doing so will grant riders $1 off their next ride.

An ordinance introduced by Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration on Tuesday, says the scooters must be ridden standing up by people 18 years or older. Riders are also required to stay under 15 mph, and must remain on streets with a dedicated “pedacycle” lane or on a street with a 25 mph maximum speed limit.

Pittsburgh’s City Council will likely discuss this legislation next Wednesday.

Scooters will also be required to be parked perpendicular to the curb in a legal parking space or next to a bicycle rack, according to the ordinance.

Since the scooters were first introduced, some community members have complained about illegally parked scooters.

Students said they utilize the scoot-

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ers for multiple reasons — for practical purposes or pleasure. Emery Zhang, an undeclared sophomore, said he recently used the scooters to get back to his dorm after a day of classes.

“I usually use it to go back to my dorm, which is in upper campus at Irvis and sometimes between classes because it’s quicker than walking,” Zhang said.

Zhang said he thinks the scooters are usable due to their “reasonable” price.

“I think they are pretty reasonable,

getting tired and stuff.”

Zhang’s longest trip with the scooter was to and from Schenley Park, but he said they’re better for short-distance trips.

“These things charge a lot anyways, like when you do them long distance, so I think they're better for short distance trips up and down around campus,” Zhang said.

Ben Robinson, an undeclared sophomore, also said the scooters are easy to

that's also, I don't know, maybe that's my personal opinion. I do only take it when I am in a time crunch or if I really got to get somewhere or if the weather's really shitty.”

Weinthal also said the scooters are better than human-powered bicycles, but she needed to get used to the instant acceleration of the scooter before getting a handle of riding it.

“There’s a really big pickup on these scooters,” Weinthal said. “It goes from zero to probably seven or eight [miles per hour] quickly.”

Robinson said a perk of the scooters is that they can be used for “anything.”

“I mean, just for anything, really”, Robinson said, “Sometimes getting to classes, sometimes it’s just kind of fun to ride.”

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The Move PGH project partnered with Spin, a company that produces electronically charged vehicles, on July 9, making electric Spin scooters available throughout Pittsburgh. Aaiush Jain staff photographer considering how they're a rental there, but they still try to keep the prices low,” Zhang said. “So the students are — it's accessible to students and other people who want to ride it.”

Zhang said the scooters are an improvement to other vehicles such as bikes, even though it took him 15 minutes to figure out how to use one.

“They have a motor and you can take them to places up the hill, usually because bikes — they're still human power — you need to ride it,” Zhang said. “It takes up your energy, especially when you're walking around to classes and

use, unlike Bird, a competitor which is known for its poor battery capacity.

“It doesn’t take much time to learn how to ride it,” Robinson said, “Bird had problems with that, but not these.”

Jessica Weinthal, a senior psychology and theater arts major, said she uses the scooters on late nights to return to her dorm, on time crunches and to escape bad weather. She added that she feels the scooters can be somewhat overpriced, depending on a destination’s location.

“I feel like getting down the street like from one block to another shouldn’t cost $2.50,” Weinthal said. “But maybe

September 8, 2021

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (PG-13) No passes through 9/19/21 Fri: 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 Sat & Sun: 1:35, 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 Mon & Tue: 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 Wed: 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 Thu: 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 Candyman (R) Fri: 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 Sat & Sun: 3:05, 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 Mon & Tue: 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 Wed: 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 Thu: 5:10, 7:15, 9:20

r o n a M The Lost Leonardo (PG-13) Fri: 4:45, 6:45, 8:45 Sat & Sun: 2:45, 4:45, 6:45, 8:45 Mon & Tue: 4:45, 6:45, 8:45 Wed: 4:45, 6:45, 8:45 Thu: 4:45, 6:45, 8:45

Movies & Showtimes subject to change - visit manorpgh.com

STUDENT DISCOUNT MON-THURS $7 AFTER 6PM WITH A VALID STUDENT ID 1729 MURRAY AVE.

412-422-7729

SQUIRREL HILL

FRI-SUN $8 TAKE 61B, C, D BUS

f

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Classifieds

I Rentals & Sublet N D E X • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER

R A T E S

Insertions $0.10)

1X

1-15 Words

16-30 Words (Each

Additional

Deadline:

Employment

For sale

• CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER

$6.30 $7.50

2X $11.90 $14.20

3X

4X

$17.30

$22.00

$20.00

$25.00

notices

services

• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

5X

6X

$27.00 $29.10

$30.20 $32.30

• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER

Add. + $5.00 + $5.40

Word:

Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978

For Rent

Employment

Bloomfield

Employment Other

428 Garnet Way

RESEARCH ASSIS­ TANT internship trainee positions (un­ paid), with the option for credit, are avail­able immediately in the Biobehavioral Cancer Control Pro­gram of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Cen­ter. Ongo­ ing research in the pro­ gram fo­cuses on the behav­ioral and biologi­ cal pathways linking peo­ple’s thoughts and feelings to cancer‑re­ lated outcomes (e.g., development of can­cer, Close to Restaurants, response to treat­ Grocery Stores, ment). We are seek­ing Schools multiple students to each volunteer up to 10 hours a week.

Great for a family or a Positions have the po­ couple or students. tential to continue into Rent $1975 plus gas/­ the spring semester. electric and half wa­ter/ Candidates should sewage possess good people Owner pays:half wa­ skills, com­puter skills, ter/sewage. Trash dedica­tion to research, atten­tion to detail, Must see to appreci­ organi­zational skills, ate. Call for appoint­ strong work ethic, and ment or email the ability to work au­ vze35284@verizon.­ tonomously or as part net. 412‑983‑0982 of a team. Individu­ als with experience in a dry lab setting (psy­chology, public health) as well as wet lab experience (biol­ ogy, neuroscience) are strongly encour­aged to Quiet and spacious house is centrally lo­cated in one of Pitts­burgh’s walkable neighborhood known as little Italy. Very clean three bed­rooms, living room, eat in kitchen, spa­cious cel­ lar. Wash­er/dryer hook ups. Central heating with humidifier and air conditioning. Newly painted new double pane windows with window dressings.

pittnews.com

apply. Inter­ested indi­ viduals should contact Ms. Jessica Manculich at mancjf@upmc. edu. Please provide a re­sume, availability, and a brief statement of your background and goals.

Services Services Other Engage your frontal cortex! Help with at­tention issues. Better focus, clarity, ability to concentrate. Work to your potential.

Special pricing for Pitt students.

Neuropittsburgh.­com.

412‑277‑6820. Call or text.

Notices Events Divine Healing Ser­vice Saturday Sept. 18th 2pm. Sponsored by Eagle’s Wings church Hotel Indigo 329 Tech­ nology Drive, Pittsburgh Technology Center.

Between Oakland and Hot Metal Bridge. www.eagleswingsag.­org

September 8, 2021

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